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We all know about the perfect NBA Finals record of Michael Jordan and the amazing performances and stats about the king of playoffs. Jordan showed signs of becoming one of the best players early in his career during his college days.
Also read: Top 10 Regular season scorers in NBA History
Jordan went to University of North Carolina (UNC), his home state, on a full basketball scholarship. Under UNC’s head basketball coach Dean Smith, Jordan became only the fourth freshman ever to earn a starting spot. Here are some of the stats from his three years of college.
Freshman year (1981-82)
This was Jordan’s first major league experience and being a freshman he had a lot to prove himself.
He played 34 games and scored 191 field goals with .534 field goal percentage. He was taking free throws with an accuracy of .722 %.
During his freshman year, the spotlight was on UNC’s forwards James Worthy and Sam Perkins (who later played in the NBA) but still Jordan managed to score 460 points while giving 61 assists. Defensively, he made 149 rebounds and 41 steals. He also assisted his team with 57 turnovers and 8 blocks.
- The highest point during Jordan’s freshman year was during the final of the NCAA championship when he scored the winner against Georgetown Hoyas. North Carolina won with a score of 63-62 and the living legend showed early signs of numerous winners to come.
1982-83
This was the first year that Jordan came into the limelight. He won them the Conference Regular Season Championship and lead the team to NCAA Elite Eight. During his second year, he played 36 games made 282 field goals with .535 field goal percentage.
He took 167 free throws with an accuracy of .737 and 56 assists along the way. Defensively he made a whopping 78 steals, 197 rebounds and 28 blocks.
This was the first time he made it into the Consensus All-American first team and won Sporting News Player of the Year award.
Final Season (1983-84)
This was the last season for the player no. 23 and he made sure that it was his year. He won almost every personal award that year. He lead the team to Conference Regular Season Championship and the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.
He played 31 games, scored 241 field goals with .551 field goal percentage. He was shooting free throws with an accuracy of .779% and provided 64 assists. In defence, he made 163 rebounds and made 50 steals and 35 blocks. He also had 67 turnovers to his name.
He was named AP player of the year and Atlanta Coast Conference player of the year and again made it to the Consensus All-American first team. He won the most prestigious Wooden Award in 1984. He was also honoured with Naismith Award and Rupp Trophy. He was also named UPI and Sporting News Player of the Year.
- He went on to be drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the 1984 NBA Draft as the Third Pick overall.
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